Shoe



July 26, 1927. 1,636,905

A. E. FALOR ET AL SHOE Filed June 14, 1924 Patented July 26,` 1927.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

ABM E. FALOB AND FREDEBICK'H. MARTIN, OF AKRON, OHI`0,VASSIGN0BS TO THE -B. l'. GOODRICE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SHOE.

Application led June 14, 1924. Serial No. 719,971.

This invention relates to shoes of light construction and more particularly heelless, soft-soled, rubber and fabric shoes such as are commonly used for tennis and other sports. Many persons find that when their feet are accustomed to ordinary leather shoes the substitution of sport shoes of the character described results in tiring of the feet and in many instances pain and soreness of the fee't follow the change from the one to the other type of shoe.

The principal object of our invention is to rovide an improved sport shoe adapted to liessen the undesirable effects described and more particularly to provide a comfortable and durable sport shoe of the heelless, rubber-and-cloth type. g

We have discovered that the discomfort of tennis shoes as heretofore made results chiefly from the lack of support for the arch of the foot, rather than from the absence of the heel or the general looseness and yielding character of the shoe, and that such discomfort may be largely avoided, while dispensing with 'the heel and retaining the a vantages of the light, easy fitting, fabric construction, by providing a suitable arch support and without necessarily modifying the construction in any other way.

Our lpreferred type of arch support is shown 1n the accompanying drawmgs, of which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective, phantom view of a tennis shoe w1th our improved arch-support 35 incorporated therein. I

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the shoe at the instep portion, showing details of construction.

Referring to the drawings, the arch support 10, locally thickened and thus formed on its upper face to fit the sole of the wearers foot in a manner to support the arch thereof, is thinned out over the heel portion of the sole l1 and forward past the instep,

preferably overlying the sole substantially throughout the latters width and being secured to the sole throughout their contacting area, as by cemen'ting or vulcanization, the

arch support th'us being adapted to be held 1n arch-supporting position by its attachment to the sole rather than by its engage` ment with the upper, so that the upper is not unduly strained or distorted by movement or deformation of the arch support. The latter may be formed of any suitable material, a relatively stili' rubber compound being desirable in some cases, where the su ort 1s re uired to sustain a considerab e orce, whi e a soft, sponge-rubber compound may provide suiiicient support in other cases and at the same time permit freer movement of the foot.

Details of the structure are shown in Fig. 2, where the arch support 10, which may be of the same or a di erent compound .from that of the sole 11, is integrally united with the latter by vulcaniza'tion the margins 12, 12, of the upper 13 extending between the two and being vulcanized thereto. 4The arch support may be provided with a surface layer or insole 14 of fabric.

The provision of the arch support secured to the sole of the shoe, and rlmarily sup` ported and held in. position y its connection with the sole rather than by its engagement with the upper, results' in a structure having the advantages above set out, and as the details of construction mav be modified without departing from this inventive idea, we do not wholly limit our claims to the exact details of construction shown.

We claim:

1. A soft-soled, rubber-and-fabric shoe having a locally thickened arch-supporting member within the confines of the upper of the shoe and integrally coalesced with the sole of the shoe.

2. A shoe com rising a rubber sole, a cloth upper attac ed to the sole, and an arch-supporting member integrally secured to said sole and to the upper atits bottom and side wall portions respectively, said member bein materially thlckened at the shank only o the sole.

3. A shoe com rising a soft, iexible sole, an upper attached to the sole, and a` resilient ICI 2 mames arch-supporting member having its side the sole and the upper, respeetivey, by the wall secured to and shaped by the upper concurrent vucamzation of the arch-supl.

of the shoe. porting member und the rubber portions of 4. A shoe comprising e, rubber sole, an the shoe. 6V upper attached thereto, a, rubber areh-sulp- In witness whereof we have hereunto set. orting member materiaily thickened at t e our hands this 10th day of June, 1924. instep' und integrally secured 'to and shaped ABRAM E. FALOR. by, as to its bottom and side wall portions, FREDERICK H. R'NN. 

